Was für eine Reise.




(What a trip.)

Friday in Berlin (pictures)

Thursday in Berlin (pictures)

Wednesday in Berlin (pictures)

More Tuesday in Berlin again (pictures)

More Tuesday in Berlin (pictures)

Tuesday in Berlin (pictures)

Monday in Berlin (pictures)

7.3.06 - 7.7.06 Berlin

Monday:
We departed from Wegberg fairly early in the morning. After 7 hours on a bus we arrived at the hotel in Berlin. We brought our luggage to our rooms, then met again to go to Kurfürstendamm. It is a big area near a very old church where, at the moment, the world cup was the theme. Many streetside shops that sold jerseys, scarfs, food, flags, etc. After that, we went back to the hotel for a good nights rest.
Tuesday:
We first visited the "Reichstag." It's a very big building used for government and political purposes. It was fairly boring, and we were all tired anyway. After that we went to the Brandenburger Tor (Brandenburg Gate). In front of the gate was a giant soccer ball. Inside was a display of everything World Cup - including the actual cup. Very cool. We headed back to the hotel. After hanging out in the rooms for about an hour, we began to prepare for the Germany vs. Italy game. Many of us had Germany scarfs, jerseys, armbands, flags.... and a lot of face paint. We departed to the Siegessäule, where we and a million other people (no exagerration) were to watch the game.
For 118 minutes Germany shot and missed, passed and stole, sprinted and sweated. In the last two minutes of overtime, Italy scored from a corner kick. The one million people watching that giant screen silenced. There was still a little hope, however. If Germany could just score in that last minute...
Italy scores again. The game ends, 2-0. The GAPP kids stand, a star in the galaxy of heart-broken German fans. I'm not sure about the other Americans, but I then realized that by spending so much time with our German friends, we had acquired the same passion for this game. There was crying, hugging, and faces of disbelief. For what seemed like hours many of the GAPPERs stood there in a circle, arms around each other, silent. None of us felt like walking back to the hotel afterward, but our legs carried us forward in spite of our emotions.
Wednesday:
First an early morning trip to the Jewish Museum. It was very interesting, but, once again, we were all tired and we found it hard to stay focused...and awake. After that we had free time for shopping/eating. Later in the evening we went to see Blue Man Group. It was pretty awesome. I had already seen it, but not in Germany. Everyone had a great time. We had more freetime afterwards, and then we went back to the hotel.
Thursday:
In the morning we visited Checkpoint Charlie and the Checkpoint Charlie museum. It was a very warm day, and the museum was not air conditioned. However, it was a very large museum with much history to learn. After Checkpoint Charlie was a little free time. Then we went to the Charlottenburg Castle. From the outside, the building doesn't look like a castle. The inside was amazing, though. Unfortunately, photographs weren't allowed inside. We then had free time for our last night in Berlin. We came back to the hotel around 11, and prepared to depart the next morning.
Friday:
We left the hotel at around 10:30. The bus ride was enjoyable. We slept, ate, played games, took pictures, etc. We were all exhausted by the time we got home. I slept for 13 hours Friday night.

Was für ein Woche.
(What a week.)

6.30.06 Aachen

Wow - Aachen was definitely the best trip yet. First we took a tour of the city. There was a giant church; it was probably the coolest building I've ever seen. After that we had free time to eat/buy stuff. Around five o'clock we gathered at the center of the city to watch the Germany vs. Argentina World Cup game. The game didn't start until 7, so we were waiting for a while.
The wait was worth it. What an amazing game. Germany and Argentina battled for 120 minutes straight, and afterward it was tied 1:1. The game went to a shoot-out. Germany's goalie Jens Lehmann (who is now my favorite player) saved two goals, while the Argentina goalie saved none. Germany was victorious. The city of Aachen was crazy. It was so amazing to be there with hundreds of soccer-crazed German fans screaming and singing "We are the Champions."
What a day.

6.29.06 Bowlen

On Thursday a few of us went bowling. The place was really nice; they had bowling, food, drinks, air hocky, pool, etc. I had never done real bowling before, just candlepin. It was hard to get used to; the balls are a lot heavier. I ended up winning a few times, however.

Aachen morgen. Bis gleich.

6.28.06 Bonn

Bonn - Beethoven's birth-city. I actually put a hand in the room he was born in...wow. We also saw the Museum of German History, which was also very interesting. And, as usual, we ate food. Good food.

6.27.06 Das Boot

On Tuesday Felix, Brennan, Niklas and I went out on the boat. Felix has his boating license, so he's allowed to go alone. We rode the mopeds to the river in the Netherlands. The weather was not fantastic. It was cloudy and cold and it rained for a while when we were on the boat. We did stop and see the horses again. On the way home we stopped and ate french fries.